Choices We Have To Make
by Megg22
Summary: Zelda has a difficult choice to make that will change the Spellman's live's forever. However, all is never as it seems, & difficult decisions will be just one of many challenges that will test three witches ability to pull together or risk falling apart.
1. Chapter 1

**After watching Sabrina The Teenage Witch recently, all the fun of magic from childhood came back to me so I'm going to try to recreate a little bit of that in this fanfic. This will probably be a little darker and more dramatic than a usual episode would ever be but I hope that you will still enjoy it :)**

Zelda sighed to herself as she prepared a cup of tea and waited for her toast to pop up.

"Something to do with the mail that popped up early this morning? I thought that was good news? " Salem the cat inquired during a short moment's pause from the enjoyment of the cold milk in his bowl.

"Salem, that's none of your business and I'd appreciate it if you'd keep quite because I'd prefer Hilda no to know about –"

"Prefer Hilda not to know about what?" Zelda was interrupted by her younger sister entering the kitchen at just the wrong time.

"Oh nothing, well, I…" Zelda was too slow in coming up with a lie and Hilda quickly zapped a truth spell on her causing her sentence to end with; " I received a letter from the witches science academy and I've been offered a place there as principle of the physics department. Oh Hilda why do you always do that to me when I don't want you to know something"

"Well, because I hate not knowing things." Hilda replied "anyway, why wouldn't you want me to know that, that's great news – a little geeky – but great for you anyway."

"Thanks, I think. It's just that there's a little more to it," Zelda went on but the sound of her niece coming downstairs stopped her in her tracks, "Hilda please can we talk about this later when Sabrina's gone to school."

Hilda looked confused but said no more as her niece entered the kitchen.

"Morning, so late, got to go, bye" She hastily blurted as she headed for the door.

"Sabrina." Her aunts called simultaneously causing her to freeze, quite literally, as one of them threw a holding spell on her.

"What?" Exclaimed Sabrina turning to face her aunts as the spell was dropped.

"Breakfast." Informed Hilda

"It's the most important meal of the day." Added Zelda

"And the tastiest" chirped Salem slurping the last traces of milk from his bowl.

"Alright, alright I'll zap something on the way – now I've really got to leave!"

"Bye honey, have a nice day!" Called Zelda as the door closed.

After checking that there was nobody around, Sabrina created an ice-cream sundae with the flick of her finger and was about to take a mouthful of her 'important' and 'tasty' breakfast when it transformed into an orange before her very eyes. Floating next to her newly healthy breakfast was a note that read 'Nice try, love Aunt Zelda x' which caused Sabrina to roll her eyes.

"So, why are you being so secretive about your news?" Asked Hilda as she watched her sister butter her toast and attempted to steal a slice when she wasn't looking.

"Ouch!" She cried as the toast gave her some sort of electric shock.

"Aha! That'll teach you not to take my food without asking." Laughed Zelda, taking her well protected breakfast to the table with her.

"Gosh, who knew toast was so special?" Remarked Hilda sarcastically. She rubbed her hand gently as it was still stinging then zapped her own plate of toast. "What sort of a witch uses the toast to make toast anyway?" She added, joining her sister at the table.

"Well, I just enjoy those little mortal inventions sometimes." Zelda spoke distantly and hadn't even taken a bite of her toast yet.

"Zeldy, what's up? I thought you'd be ecstatic about this physics principle thingy."

"Oh, I am, it's just…" the sentence drifted as if she didn't quite know how to complete it. Losing patience, Hilda cast another truth spell on her sister.

"If I take this job I'll have to live in the other realm, I probably won't see you or Sabrina for a century and I don't know if I could bare that but this is the job of my dreams and I'm scared that if I don't take it, I'll end up regretting it for centuries. – Hilda I really wish you'd stop doing that to me!" Her annoyance didn't come through in her tone as it remained sad.

"I see, you're stuck with choosing between your family and some stupid science job! I can't believe you're even considering leaving us for that!"

"Hilda, please don't be angry! I've worked all my life for a position like this, it's not so easy to just turn it down, and you understand that, don't you?"

"All I understand is that you think it's going to be alright to leave me to raise Sabrina by myself whilst you follow your dreams. What about me? What about Sabrina, she needs you!" Hilda rose from the table, she had always fought with her sister but she had never felt so angry and hurt by her.

"You're talking like I was going to just sneak away and never come back Hilda honestly, I haven't even made a decision yet."

"I think you should just go Zelda, I wouldn't want to hold you back from what you've been waiting for." With those bitter words Hilda stormed out of the kitchen and then, by the sound of the door slamming and the bolt of lightning that split through the morning air, out of the house too.

"Oh Salem, what am I going to do?" Zelda looked to the cat for guidance.

"So now we remember about the cat huh!" he remarked indignantly, offended by the lack of consideration for himself during their argument, he walked away leaving Zelda feeling even more defeated.

The day had dragged on as Zelda was left feeling low all day since Hilda had not returned from wherever she had stormed off to and Salem was still refusing to speak to her. After attempting to do some simple house chores but finding it useless in taking things off her mind Zelda returned to the kitchen table where she remained solemnly until Sabrina returned home.

"Hey Aunt Hilda, Aunt Zelda, I'm home!" Sabrina called as she walked into an unusually quiet house.

"In here sweet heart!" Zelda called in what she hoped sounded like a cheerful tone.

"I thought you might have gone out it's so quiet, hey, why so glum, I've forgiven you for the orange stunt if that's what you're worried about." Sabrina joked and she gave her Aunt a kiss before sitting next to her. Noticing that her aunt hadn't even smiled at her joke, she spoke more seriously; "Any Zelda what's wrong?" It worried Sabrina that her aunt looked so down, it just wasn't like her.

"Nothing darling I…" Sensing that her aunt wouldn't tell her the truth Sabrina cast a little spell that her other aunt, Hilda had taught her; "I've been offered a job in the other realm and when I told Hilda that taking it would mean moving away and living there she stormed out, and the cats not speaking to me either. – Sabrina! Where did you learn that spell, it's not nice to force people to tell you things! But, well, now that you know – are you angry?"

"Are you going to take the job?" Sabrina inquired, she knew her aunt Hilda could overreact a little sometimes but she wouldn't storm off unless something had really upset her.

"I haven't decided yet, it's such an honour to have been offered such a prestigious position in physics –"

"Well I think that answers the question, don't you?" Sabrina cut her aunt off; she could clearly see how much this job meant to her. "There are holidays, we can visit right?"

"Sweetie, you don't understand. I wouldn't see any of you for such a long time, when you take a job in the other realm it's not like here, you have to remain in that facility until you retire – or die - whichever comes first. So I'm left to decide between the career of my dreams and my family."

"I'm sorry you have such a difficult choice Aunt Zelda." Sabrina got up and made for the door so that she could escape to her bedroom, she didn't want her aunt to see her cry.

"Sabrina, are you mad too?" Zelda couldn't bear to have her niece turn against her too.

"You've always taught me to follow my heart Aunt Zelda, do the same." Sabrina tried to smile before leaving the room but she only half managed.

**Please let me know what you thought, I'd like to continue & see where this goes if anybody is interested. Idea's are also always welcome :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Not sure if anybody is reading this but here's another chapter if you are :**)

Hilda returned later that evening but didn't speak a word to her sister despite Zelda's questions about where she had been. She'd hoped that walking out would give her the time she needed to calm down, but her emotions had refused to subside leaving her with no choice but to return home with the same anger and upset.

"Hilda please, can we at least talk about this!" Zelda called up the stairs as Hilda stomped past her and up them but the only response she got was the sound of a door being slammed.

"Woah, there's no need to take it out on the door!" Salem commented as Hilda made her noisy entrance into Sabrina's bedroom.

"Aunt Hilda, are you okay? Where have you been?" Questioned Sabrina, watching her aunt fling herself on her bed with a sigh of despair.

"No I'm not okay, Zelda's –"

"I know, she told me." Interrupted Sabrina before she had to listen to the dilemma all over again since she had been playing it over in her mind ever since the earlier conversation.

"Well, doesn't it make you angry, that she's going to leave us, just walk out and –"

"You know it isn't like that, we both do."

"It still hurts though."

"Yeah, I know."

"I spent hours in the doughnut store, the happiest place in this mortal world and I couldn't even smile. I can't imagine life without her Sabrina so how can she even consider it?"

"It's her dream though." Sabrina moved onto her bed to give her aunt a cuddle as they spoke.

Zelda let a tear roll down her cheek as she sat back on the kitchen table after the frosty reception she had received from her sister. Zelda and Hilda had been through more rows than she would even dare to count, but they always made up in no time because they had a special bond. Yes, they had other siblings who they loved, but Zelda and Hilda had something special. Now, Zelda felt as though she had hurt her sister beyond repair because she had never seen her so angry and never for so long!

"Oh what am I going to do?" Zelda spoke aloud despite the emptiness of the room.

"Follow your heart Zleda, you're a scientist and they are holding you back because they're selfish." The voice was like a whisper in her ear but it made Zelda jump, she scanned the room but there was nobody – just the voice.

"If they really loved you they would support you. Don't hold back simply because they need you to look after them, follow your dreams Zelda, go…" The voice trailed off on the last words and suddenly Zelda felt as though her decision had been made for her.

With a flick of her finger she zapped a pen and some paper onto the table before hand writing a note. Next, she summoned the necessary belongings into a suitcase which stood by the door to the other realm as she reached the top of the stairs.

Passing Sabrina's door she could hear voices but couldn't bear to listen in on their conversation knowing that they would only be angry with her, she felt that it would be better for everyone if she just left quietly – hopefully, by the time she could return from this job they would have found it in their hearts to forgive her, but for now she hoped the note would be enough of an apology.

Creating a silencer on the other realm lightening travel, Zelda silently slipped into the closet and left her family without a sound.

"Argh! It's so frustrating, I should just be happy for her… but I can't!"

"If there's one thing I've learnt from aunt Zelda, it's that you only ever feel this frustrated if you love somebody. Which means, we must love her very much."

"Okay," contemplated Hilda, smiling inside at how mature her niece was being then wanting to cry at the fact that it was Zelda who mainly brought her up to be so sensible, "that means that we have to let her take this job, support her and be there for her all despite how much we want her to stay because we love her right."

They both smiled and gave each other another hug, "Right, so let's go and apologise and let her in on our big revelation."

"That we made without her clever help might I add." Joked Hilda as they walked downstairs.

"Zeldy!" She called, scanning the living room for her sister before moving on to the kitchen.

"Where's she gone?" Questioned Sabrina after following Hilda into the kitchen and realising her elder aunt wasn't there either. "Wait, there's a note." Sabrina held the note and read it aloud to Hilda and Salem who had just entered the kitchen too.

"Dear Hilda, Sabrina and Salem, I know that you are angry and upset with me and this is why I have made the decision to take the job."

Hilda gasped as Sabrina read on,

"Never believe that I have left because I don't love you – that is not true! It is simply that I believe it is the right thing for me to do. Not only is this my dream but it is an opportunity for me to give you the time and space you need to forgive me which I hope that all three of you will be able to do. Hilda, you are going to be an amazing aunt for Sabrina whilst I'm away, please help her when she gets into trouble and don't let her eat ice-cream for breakfast everyday!"

Hilda let out a laugh at that despite the tears running down her face at the realisation that her sister had gone.

"Sabrina, continue to work hard at school for me, you are such a clever girl and a talented witch and I'll always be proud of you." Sabrina tried to hold back the tears as she read words she could practically hear her aunt Zelda saying to her.

"And as for you Salem, keep the world domination plans to a minimum and don't even think about moving into my room! There, that's the last of my lecturing to you three for some time, try not to forget me, I love you all, love Zelda"

Suddenly a horrendous laugh or cackle filled the kitchen.

"What the?" Sabrina yelled as the sound pierced their ears.

"She gave into the temptation and now she's mine with so much help from you all too! I hope you're happy because she's never coming back!" With that haunting message and another outrageous cackle the voice was gone.

"Oh no!" Cried Hilda, "the voice of temptation Sabrina, it taps into people's desires and lures them so that they become trapped!"

"Aunt Zelda would never fall for something like that, she's too smart!" Sabrina couldn't hide the panic in her voice.

"Once temptation's planted even the smartest of people can be fooled Sabrina, and like the voice said, we practically made her leave the way I behaved…"

"Don't blame yourself, we will get her back, there must be a way."

"There's one way," interjected Salem "but you're not going to like it."

**Please comment to let me know what you think and whether you're interested in reading any more.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry it's only a short chapter but I just had to put something up now that people have responded and said that they like it - Yay :)**

**I'm always open to ideas and inspiration so just let me know and most of all enjoy...**

Zelda's eyes flickered open and it took her a moment to realise that she was sprawled out across the floor of a dark room. It was true that on occasions witches were impacted by traveling between realms, like a travel sickness of sorts, which sometimes caused them to pass out. Yet, that hadn't happened to Zelda in centuries and she'd never felt this disorientated. As she slowly sat up she tried to figure out where she was as it clearly wasn't where she was supposed to be.

"Hello! Is anyone there?" She called out into the darkness. Zelda knew that when traveling between realms went wrong it could be very dangerous so she was cautious about knowing where she was and more importantly, who was with her.

"Hello there Zelda." Came a voice which sounded familiar but was difficult for her to pinpoint, especially since there was no face for her to match it to.

"Who said that and how do you know my name? Show yourself this instant." Zelda called out in annoyance, she hated being in the dark about things both literally and metaphorically but as she attempted to zap some light around her she realised that her magic wasn't working. This scared her more than she liked to admit because without magic she couldn't protect herself against whatever it was she was feeling evermore frightened by.

"Now, now Zelda, don't get frustrated, there's no need for magic here because I'm in control." The eerie sentence was followed by a booming laugh that sent chills up Zelda's spine. Suddenly the area was filled with a bright light and after a moment to adjust her eyes, Zelda found herself to be in a small room – alone.

"That is not a way out Salem; we're not doing that it won't solve anything!" Sabrina stated after Salem had finished explaining his method of saving Zelda.

"Fine leave Zelda trapped in the world of temptation but don't say I didn't try to help." Salem left the kitchen slightly annoyed that his suggestion had been rejected so quickly.

"Maybe Salem's right Sabrina, I mean -

"No! I want both my aunts to be safe Aunt Hilda, we're not risking it! There must be another way to save Aunt Zelda."

"Sabrina, it's the only plan we have, I can't just sit here doing nothing knowing that he's got my sister. The master of temptation drains witches of their powers Sabrina, he's just so cruel, digging into their desires and dreams only to torment them!"

"It sounds terrible but Aunt Zelda is strong, surely she can hold out while we think of a safer way to save her?" Sabrina looked into her younger aunts eyes and it hurt her to see the pain that she was in but she knew that rushing in was never the right thing to do – another lesson learnt from Aunt Zelda she noted, "let's take a look in the magic book, I mean maybe something in that will help us!" She attempted to sound optimistic as she took Hilda's hand and led her upstairs.

As Sabrina entered her room to collect the magic book Hilda glanced at the linen cupboard and took a deep breath.

"Aunt Hilda, are you coming?" Sabrina called after noticing that her aunt hadn't followed her in.

"Sabrina, I'm sorry…" The words were almost a whisper but as Sabrina heard them she made an attempt to run to her bedroom door but it was too late, with the force of magic it was thrown shut and locked as was her window in the same swift movement.

"Aunt Hilda, please don't do this! Let me out!" She crashed on the locked door as she called out to her aunt.

"I need to know you'll be safe and this way, you can't do anything stupid. I love you Sabrina." With that last sentence all Sabrina heard was the lightning-bolt from the linen cupboard as she lost yet another aunt to the dangerous unknown.

As the vortex to the other realm began to move her, Hilda held onto the necklace that she always wore and prayed that Zelda was wearing hers too as she chanted; "With my sister lost I fear the worst, take me to Zelda to save her first." She sighed at how pathetic the rhyme was but she never did cope as well as Zelda under pressure so all she could do now was hope that she was taken to the right place.

Zelda had now scanned the empty room from top to bottom at least three times now in search for an escape. The voice had continued to inform her that there was 'no way out and that she was 'confined under his power for eternity' but she had simply refused to accept that. Now though, she began to feel tired and slid herself down a wall into a seated position where she rested her head in her hands.

"So you've accepted that you're here to stay Zelly?" The smugness could be heard despite the lack of a visual to the voice.

"Never!" Retorted Zelda, "And don't you dare call me that, only Hilda calls me…" With the mention of her sister Zelda couldn't hold back the tears any longer and her voice broke as she began to cry.

Pleased that the strength of this witch was finally broken the Master of Temptation burst into a fit of his howling, evil, laughter. However, this didn't last long as an interference with the surrounding area caused his connection with the room to malfunction.

As her tears subsided Zelda realised that the laughter had stopped which was a relief since it was just so difficult to block out. Lifting her head up to wipe her tears she gasped noticing that there was a figure sprawled out on the floor in front of her.

"Hilda!" She cried, quickly moving towards her sister's body and lightly shaking it. "Hilda wake up!" She shook a little harder until she noticed her sister's eyes begin to flicker open.

**Please comment and let me know what you think :)**


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